Damned System

Chapter 34. Monitor (2)

“Before someone else makes the first move, we need to somehow establish a point of contact, don’t we? Don’t know what more this guy might know?”

Brian, under Martin’s sharp gaze, lowered his head.

“If he needs financial help, offer him support as well. Do whatever it takes! Give him whatever he asks for! And bring him here by next week!”

As Martin barked orders, Brian and Lily quickly responded.

“Yes, sir!”

“Get out!”

After the two swiftly left the room, Martin picked up the paper again.

「Title: Damned System 1(869) – Author: K

Content: I am sharing some information for gameplay to replace this damned system that fails to provide proper information.

Before explaining, there are some things you must remember: this game has no automation features.

To use mana obtained from hunting and skills purchased from the shop, practice is essential.

Abandon the misconception that you can simply shout skill names like in ordinary online games.

I will divide the game’s explanation broadly into mana and monsters.

1. Mana.

1) Usage and Effects by Stage

Mana obtained through repeated missions is estimated to become ‘perceptible’ once you reach a minimum of 50.

Once perceptible, if you can circulate mana within your body, you can achieve ‘Mana Manipulation’.

This means you can acquire skills without going through the shop.

Avoid being foolish enough to spend 500 mana at the shop, as skills will automatically be created in the skill tab.

Once capable of Mana Manipulation, your physical abilities are dramatically enhanced.

This is considered the minimum level at which one can relatively safely clear a Level 1 mission.

Until you can use this freely, it’s recommended not to challenge missions.

If you’re not up to the level, trying out of sheer bravado only leaves you in the same position as those who died. Remember that.

If your mana count is below 50, gather it. You can also secure mana through plants.

Or, fill the mission site with ten people. With two or three serving as bait, hunting is possible even with less than 100 mana.

Details related to hunting will be covered more extensively in the monster section.

After Mana Manipulation comes ‘Materialization’.

This divides into two methods: overlaying on the body and overlaying on objects. The latter is more difficult.

Focusing mana outside the body on specific parts enhances destructive power, offense, and defense.

To crush a cement wall with a hand wrapped in mana…」

Written there was a guide to playing the game.

* * *

People filmed from various angles were displayed on dozens of monitors.

It was Ethan who had returned to his lodging.

“Pupils are dilating. He seems to be using the system window.”

“Judging by the continual movement of his pupils, it’s likely a community or shop service with a high level of visual activity.”

“He seems to be spending more time utilizing the system window than speaking.”

David, who had been watching Ethan on the monitor, asked.

“Why didn’t you report?”

“Because we can’t report based on assumptions.”

The one who answered the question was Deputy Director Selena.

“Did I not tell you to report anything strange?”

“Not reporting deliberately must mean there was nothing strange, don’t you think?”

David’s eyebrows twitched at the repeated answer.

‘So, you’re playing it like this?’

Blocking direct observation and interaction with Ethan to prevent information leakage? He knew there were those within the organization who didn’t align with his methods. Yet, he hadn’t expected such blatant hostility.

‘Foolish people.’

David secretly glared at Selena. Truly foolish.

Players shattered records set by humans trained to their limits during the tutorial. Moreover, their self-healing ability surpassed humans. The environment allowed for further ‘growth’.

Could they really be considered humans?

‘Not at all.’

Having transcended humanity’s domain, they were nothing but monsters disguised in human skin. They needed to be eliminated before they grew any more. However, not only the Prime Minister but also agents like Selena kept droning on about human rights, spouting naive words.

‘Tch.’

David clicked his tongue inwardly.

“Director!”

An agent with an urgent expression burst into the room where Ethan was being monitored.

“K posted on the community.”

David’s eyes widened slightly.

He extended his hand, and the agent handed him an A4 paper.

David’s brow furrowed slightly as he read the contents.

As the new tutorial progressed, they were discovering other players one by one. It enabled closer verification of the community’s content.

‘I see no other way since that monstrous guy’s been uncooperative.’

Ethan had refused the order to type out all community content until now. Too busy with training, he had argued, staying alive was hard enough.

As a result, he delivered important information orally at best.

‘If there’s anything he intentionally omitted, it’s now possible to verify.’

Finally, they could take a proper peek into the world of players.

As thoughts of the community crossed his mind, David’s brow wrinkled slightly again.

‘A place crawling with monsters.’

Already, it was giving him a headache.

How many among them would turn out to be dangerous?

Which among them was the most dangerous?

“Tch.”

This time, David clicked his tongue audibly as he set the paper aside and spoke.

“No progress on the search?”

“No, the list of candidates is too broad.”

“Continue the investigation, assuming he’s Asian.”

Based on known information, K was the one achieving unparalleled results alone. He was the most dangerous player.

“That guy is like a bomb. We must find him and monitor him.”

Should the surveillance conclude that he posed a threat to their nation.

‘He has to be eliminated.’

Beyond the surveillance camera, in David’s eyes were fear, contempt, and disgust as he stared at Ethan and another player.

* * *

When I came out after washing up, I was contemplating what to say, but Jaehyuk didn’t ask anything.

He must surely have been curious about what happened, but his demeanor was unchanging.

It was silence only for me. Today, I found it especially comforting. Nonetheless, I declined his offer to take me home.

I wanted to walk and organize my thoughts. Thus, I set out on the road while using Invisibility. Regretfully, contrary to my plan, I couldn’t maintain a consistent train of thought.

“The player’s survival rate increased indirectly by contributing. Reputation increased by 0.3.”

“The player’s survival rate increased indirectly by contributing. Reputation increased by 0.3.”

“The player’s survival rate increased indirectly by contributing. Reputation increased by 0.3.”

……..

The barrage of notifications made my head spin. The content about gaining reputation became bothersome rather than welcome.

“Whew…..”

I sighed heavily, gritting my teeth, and muttered.

“For heaven’s sake, update the notification settings, Damned System.”

It seemed this voyeuristic pervert of a system intended to drive me mad with nonstop notifications. Otherwise, it wouldn’t bombard me with notifications numbering in the thousands.

Feeling the urge to plug my ears, I checked the post I uploaded on the community.

‘Already 3,000 comments.’

Faced with the overwhelming number of comments, combing through them wasn’t appealing. So I just returned to the main page of the community. The reason I shared information for the first time was due to reputation.

‘Reputation points can be accumulated by performing actions listed in the Public Listing.’

When I checked the list, I came across an uncomfortable phrase.

“Any act that directly or indirectly contributes to increasing a player’s survival rate without ignoring another player’s crisis.”

For some reason, it felt as if it was targeting me. Though it might have been just my guilty conscience, or perhaps this system truly painted a bullseye on me.

Without certainty, I knew what needed to be done.

I sorted the information to be posted, and as a result, my choice was correct, seeing as the flood of notifications still persisted.

After posting that article, my reputation scores piled up at an intimidating speed.

‘Already 1,593.’

The post’s view count had already surpassed 5,000. Each time a specific player viewed my post, my reputation increased by 0.3.

Considering the number of players, this meant I might collect over 2,000 reputation points with just that article alone.

Seeing the reputation scores and post views, a sense of relief inexplicably came over me, prompting a wry smile.

“Ha.”

I intended to ruthlessly shake off any unease I felt. When survival’s on the line, there’s no need to carry unnecessary burdens.

Kindness and good deeds won’t greatly assist my survival. Thus, I didn’t share information, even though I always had the capability to do so.

If not for the reputation related to shop discounts, there would’ve been no post.

Clearly, I acted out of calculated decision-making to reap benefits.

However, as everyone maneuvers through life, I, too, can’t escape being a shade of gray.

“Whew.”

It seemed it lingered in my mind to some extent. Hence, it felt so freeing the moment I posted the article.

‘Though not everyone might survive, some surely will.’

I eased my mind and gathered prestige.

The benefits of this decision weren’t minimal, lending me significant aid in playing this game.

That’s enough. Diverting my eyes from the post, I concentrated on chatting with Ethan.

– Ethan Rembrandt: A discount… This structure eases augmenting abilities or gear the higher one’s reputation.

I had just explained to Ethan about reputation after he contacted me upon finding my post.

– Ethan Rembrandt: Judging from the public list, most items emphasize player survival. Why does the system give special treatment to this section?

– K: Regardless of the reason, it’s clear we gathered a means to leverage it. Check out the public list and already complete feasible actions.

– Ethan Rembrandt: Yes, I’ll ponder over ways to gain merits. Because, honestly, potion prices have been burdensome; good news on the discount.

– K: Right, since long-term, those potion prices surely rack up.

In reality, I myself had already bought potion bundles thrice. Based on price alone, that amounted to 450 mana, which was no small sum. Accumulating over time, one’s expenses could easily hit the thousands or more.

Mana wouldn’t contribute to power increment, merely drain away.

‘Reputation’s an avenue to minimize mana expenditure.’

Collecting mana heightens survival probabilities. Hence, securing every bit possible remained essential.

‘In need of an offense mode sooner or later.’

Gathering mana was imperative.

Reflecting upon future endeavors, I soon wrapped up the chat with Ethan.

Then, as I prepared to close the community page to check the shop, my attention was caught by an intriguing post.

「Title: The Password is the Tutorial’s 1st Place Reward – Author: Sultan」

Upon clicking the post, a password prompt appeared.

Hesitating momentarily, I typed five question marks.

This unexpectedly led me to encounter some intriguing content.

「Content: My ????? Trait vanished suddenly yesterday. Does anyone have information related to this? Thinking alone doesn’t seem helpful, so I’d like to exchange opinions.」

‘Yesterday?’

No exact timeline was mentioned. Nonetheless, I halted, delving into thought.

‘What does this mean?’

While that guy claimed his question mark Trait vanished, mine became active.

‘Trait activation, support type, exploration, update, intelligence service, bounty mission, tutorial first prize…’

Juggling fragmented bits of information back and forth, a memory sprang vividly.

“Monitor….”

I did not let the fleeting thought slip away, seizing it firmly.

When my question mark Trait was activated, I’d thought of a monitor.

I speculated the question mark Trait functioned as a monitor, limiting the system to observe only immediate surroundings related to me when inactive.

Why was the question mark Trait given only to a first-place holder?

‘There’s a saying about early leaves indicating fruitful prospects.’

Hence, if they were discreetly monitoring those individuals achieving first place during the tutorial?

On considering it that way, however, some aspects remain puzzling.

If the question mark Trait served as a monitor, why did it vanish in other first-places?

‘If this Trait served as a device to detect errors and update, wouldn’t numerous observation points prove beneficial?’

The system assigned the question mark Trait to individuals besides me. Then, why eliminate it now, especially around the time my Trait activated?

‘Based on this issue, assuming the monitor seems absurd and farfetched…’

Furthermore, it seemed unlikely the system would require a monitor. Game managers should be able to oversee the players extensively, shouldn’t they?

Why adopt a monitor specifically for certain personnel?

Far too many inconsistencies arose from assuming the question mark Trait as a monitor.

Yet, it felt unpleasant, almost vexing, to dismiss it outright.

Damned System